NEWSFLASH! o.b. now makes tampons with
applicators. Stupid Johnson & Johnson. This wrecks if for me. It's a bigger
letdown than Tampax
coming out with plastic applicators like the hated Playtex (how can the
makers of the Wonderbra make such stupid tampons? I guess they're both
based on the same premise. . . .) Seduced by a $1-off coupon, I even tried
the o.b. applicator tampons. They sucked. The applicator, allegedly designed
to promote easy insertion, kept getting stuck in the little telescoping
part, necessitating the awkward and universally loathed two-handed insertion.
I still like the old kind, though. . . . This product report pre-dates
the applicator fiasco.
o.b
is my favorite tampon.
The reasons are many: the shape, the strength
of the string, the almost indestructible individual wrappers that
zip open like a pack of cigarettes. But the best thing about them
is that they fit in your fist. You could walk down the street
with half a dozen in your hands and no one would be the wiser.
You can carry them in your pockets, your pants cuffs, your gloves.
If they still made KangaRooz tennis shoes, you could carry one
in the little pouch on the side.
And in the hierarchy of feminine protection,
o.b. tampons are Queen. Not for the squeamish, o.b. are inarguably
mature. I had always thought those sissies who used the plastic
Playtex were a bunch of belly-achers. Then I met o.b. Suddenly
my cardboard-applicatored Tampax seemed juvenile . Forget the
applicator! became my new battle cry. All hail o.b.!
Feminine Protection A-Go-Go
The
natural version of o.b.: Tetrafemme
(actually, I like this brand better because it comes in a prettier box
& supposedly reduces your chances of getting Toxic Shock. But you have
to get it at Whole Foods or one of those other snotty hippy-dippy-do
stores, so I usually use o.b. instead.
For a even-handed happy-go-lucky assessment of
tampons, try Rocket
Science, complete with instructions!
An altogether different solution: Ultrafem
INSTEAD. I've used this one before. It takes a little getting used
to, but it's pretty cool. It's like a super-thin diaphragm that fits
over your cervix & collects all the blood. This means that you can have
sex with it in without having to do laundry afterwards. And there's
no creepy string hanging out of you to get caught in your panties, and
none of that disturbing cottony pull when you take it out too early.
You can also leave it in twice as long as a tampon. And it's really
CLEAN feeling. And to top it all off, the packaging is exquisite: a
space-age, flip-top box. There are two downsides: 1) You really have
to be somewhere with a sink so you can wash the blood off your hands
when you put it in/take it out (if you are squeamish about your body,
this is not for you); and 2) if you put it in wrong, it could slip later
on and spill all the blood out. Luckily, you can feel it when it happens.
It happened to me when I was playing Scrabble the first time I used
it. So I recommend practicing inserting & wearing it when you're going
to be hanging around the house for awhile. And use a pantyliner until
you get the hang of it.
I'm feeling froggy, so... $10/under:all S girly Ts, all unisex Ts, boxers, DHcon tote, towels, mugs; also on sale:glassware &
hoodies;
plus the 2007 Datebook!
The
natural version of o.b.: 
